


the star to every wand'ring

by therehavebeenworsenames



Series: Marriage of True Minds [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual CC-1004 | Gree, Asexual Luminara Unduli, Asexuality, Asexuality Spectrum, Cultural Differences, Drunken Shenanigans, F/M, Jedi, Jedi Culture, Morning Cuddles, space vegas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 14:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23035864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therehavebeenworsenames/pseuds/therehavebeenworsenames
Summary: Gree was warm and comfortable, dreaming of stars. He woke up in a situation that he had never been prepared for.In which Gree marries his general, loosens up, discovers his sexuality, and attends a party. Not in this order.
Relationships: CC-1004 | Gree & Luminara Unduli, CC-1004 | Gree/Luminara Unduli
Series: Marriage of True Minds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655536
Comments: 2
Kudos: 113





	the star to every wand'ring

Gree was dreaming. 

He knew he was dreaming. 

How else could he be holding a star against his body? 

It flickered and glowed, familiar and kind, usually so distant but steady and reliable. Gree pressed his hands around it, as tender as he could be so inexperienced with gentle things in life. The only gentleness he knew was observed. 

It was in how General Unduli would reach out and straighten Commander Offee's headscarf with her expression serene. It was how she spoke, steady and quiet to shinies after their first engagements, asking them questions and offering small praise until they stopped shaking. It was how Commander Offee stayed with a Clone and looked them in the eye when not even she with her Jedi training could save them, so they knew they were not alone. It was how the Commander and General, quiet and steady always, mourned so deeply with them when they lost brothers and spoke soft words of remembrance and held their hands.

Gree was not gentle, not really, soldiers weren't meant to be gentle, but he had a Jedi and her large-hearted Padawan to make up for what he lacked. But holding the star, feeling it press against his bare hand, a miniature heart, fragile and powerful all at once, made him try. He cradled the star close to his chest, as close as he could get it until he felt its beat and his heart, start to move in time.

He felt the star's heat sink through his skin and small tendrils of light reach out to him. Gree welcomed it, recognized the polite hesitation in them and could not deny such a small request. The star wiggled joyfully and Gree laughed at the behavior. The star seemed to lean away with all the embarrassed dignity of a feline, but reached back up, tendrils of light curling around Gree's heart and even further until he could feel the star flickering both inside and out.

Gree sank into the steady presence and welcomed it in turn, curling around the star, shielding _ her _ from everything and turning his head to bury his face in silky softness that tickled his eyelids. 

That sensation, strangely sharp in comparison, stirred him. He was dreaming but _ that _ part felt real. Gree struggled against the dream's hold, feeling it dragging down the edges of his mind with a determined grip, but slowly he forced his way back to awareness. His eyes opened with a great effort.

His vision was full of rich strands of blue-black, veiling his face in a waterfall. Gree didn't consciously realize what he was seeing, registering the pleasant feeling of it against his bare face and how he could still feel warmth cradled in his arms and a second heartbeat by his chest. Instead of a star he was holding a body and his breath hitched as his sleep riddled mind processed these facts. 

One arm was trapped as a pillow to his companion. The other wrapped snugly around her (?), pressing them together, Gree having previously buried his face in her hair. He used it to leverage himself up enough to get a glimpse of his bed partner with not a little confusion. Gree had never been interested in sexual encounters unlike some of his brothers. There was not much appeal for him. He could not imagine what he would need to imbibe--and he felt the fuzzy edge that came from over indulgence he'd only felt once--to do so now.

He saw skin a familiar shade of green. A stubborn jawline and set chin, covered in decorations like diamonds on it. He knew her eyes were a blue that was as clear and sure as her. And he saw her hair, spilling everywhere long and beautiful and almost liquid in its fineness.

Gree's breath shuttered to a stop at the soft relaxed face of his General.

He didn't understand. It didn't make sense. He shifted and was relieved to find his blacks still clinging to his skin. He reluctantly glanced down, stopping at his General's chin to find her own undersuit was still on as well. 

Gree let out a relieved breath not sure how he could have even began to process the concept of having sex. Much less with _General Unduli_. He averted his eyes, focusing on his surroundings and trying to ignore the hair brushing against the uncovered parts of the arm her head laid on and how every part of them that was touching suddenly felt a thousand times more present. It felt wrong to see her hair uncovered, especially without her awake to offer permission. Gree had researched his General's people and knew what it meant to share this with someone and how to see it without permission, to unveil her, was a horrible disrespect. 

Gree took in the room, firmly ignoring what was happening as he tried to get his bearings and figure out the next step.

They were in a circular room, rough textured and wooden framed with one exit covered in a colorful cloth and one perfectly circular window letting in the light from outside. The room itself was small and intimate, only housing the bed they laid in, which consisted of a soft mat and several pillows and blankets of varying colors. His armor was laid neatly next to the entrance, a familiar headdress folded beside his helmet, and her ligthsaber beside his blaster. The floor was not visible, covered by rugs that mostly had colorful, circular patterns in the vague shape of a flower weaved into them. The room had other pillows and blankets, clearly for sitting, spread around the edges, and the walls were draped in similarly geometric decorated cloth bearing animals and blooming flowers and vines. 

It was the flowers that triggered his memories. Shoddith Lilies curling around their diamond shaped middle in a switching pattern of orange and white petals. Gree remembered, the mission, a diplomatic one to Shod Di, the throneworld of the system, to talk to the Ruling Council when rumors had reached Coruscant of Separatists courting them. Gree backtracked through his memory trying to fill in the stubbornly blank space that had not eased with consciousness. The mission had gone well and they were attending a celebration, a wedding, as part of the reassuring of Shod Di's devotion to the Republic.

The memories didn't start to get truly fuzzy until the Father of the Second Groom had insisted on sharing his wine with them.

\- 

Gree had never much cared for alcohol. He'd certainly tried it when Fox had managed to slip Bric's prized Corellian Brandy away from his quarters. But they'd all gotten terribly drunk and sick that night. It had been the principle of the thing, taking something from the hard-handed trainer that drove them more than any enjoyment. Gree wouldn't drink if he could help it.

He didn't care for the taste. 

With the honeyed, slightly floral taste of the Shoddith Wine on his tongue though he reconsidered this stance.

He had been keeping close to the General throughout the wedding, an event he'd never thought to witness, and one of the older member of the Shoddith people, an bipedal feline race that towered over them and came in a colorful array of fur patterns with two tails, had cornered them insisting on 'sharing the Blessing'. General Unduli had done her best to gently decline on Gree's behalf. She was aware of his preferences and always tried to insure he remained comfortable with these kinds of missions. It was clear though that the male was determined and Gree recognized he was wearing one of the ceremonial daggers that symbolized a leader of the families the General had spent the whole mission working with to settle.

Gree was hardly going to let a small thing like personal preference interfere with his General's hard work and accepted the flask with as much grace as he could manage. General Undulil looked less than pleased, but respected his choice and took a sip as well when it was her turn. The Shoddith Elder was delighted, his pointed green ear twitching and quick low rumbling noise echoing through his chest as he 'gently' headbutted them both before moving on to force it on the next victim.

He licked the taste around his mouth and considered the celebration around them, all color and noise.

Commander Offee was making conversation with the bride and her two husbands. She was smiling brightly and Gree suspected that the two of them had fallen into discussing medical plants again. The importance of Shod Di's varied flora in medicine could not be underestimated and the wedding was for the leader of the planet's pharmaceutical development program. She was rather young, as much as Gree could judge Shoddith ages, but Commander Offee had disabused him quickly that young meant incapable when it came to the naturally born. The rest of Green Company, who'd been standing as the General's 'pride' per the Shoddith traditions, was spread throughout the room. No one appeared to be having any problems or causing any either. Though he suspected he would need to talk to Romeo about flirting and being aware of local customs since the shiny was currently surrounded by four queens who looked ready to eat him.

"I am sorry about that unpleasantness," General Unduli said, her soft formal voice drawing him back to their corner. Her blue eyes focused on him. "There should be no more required drinks."

Always thinking about them.

"It's fine General," he said and seeing her frown he continued. "It was surprisingly good. Most alcohol we see around the GAR tastes like the cleaner for the astromechs smell. It doesn't lead to many Clones developing very refined taste in alcohol. I hadn't realized it could be so sweet."

She smiled at that, hearing the honesty in his voice, and for a moment her eyes left his to trace the room, before returning. "We have perhaps the most peaceful evening one can have on a mission and a full selection of libations courtesy of our host. This may the perfect time for you to see what kind of tastes suit you, Commander."

Gree looked over at the center area, covered in food and bottles and glasses of shimmering liquids. The taste lingered pleasantly and he was curious. The idea of cutting back while on what was still a mission and leaving only the General alone to supervise was unpleasant though.

He shook his head. "Not tonight, sir."

The General looked at him, thoughtful and considering, and then around the room.

When she spoke it was slow and measured. "If you would like Commander, I believe that the men and my Padawan would enjoy an evening relaxing. I think we can trust them to behave respectfully out from under our watch. Would you like to join me in, unwinding? It has been a long time since I myself have taken the time to relax with a digestif."

It was not an order, allowing room for a decline with no consequences.

Gree smiled. "Then, please, guide me in picking out a," he paused. "A digestif."

General Unduli smiled like a flower in bloom. 

"It would be my honor."

-

One drink had turned into two, which had turned into several, the sweet taste lingering and refreshing at once. A dangerously temptation that seemed to refill before they could ever finish one. They'd settled into a quiet corner, claiming an abandoned pair of the large plush pillows used as seating and had been talking about how words vary in exact meaning from one culture to another. Or at least, Gree had.

He may have been rambeled more than once, but he rarely got the opportunity to talk about xenoculture and the General had personal experience to add to Gree's theoretical.

"It was at this point that we realized that translation had been inaccurate. It wasn't the Lost Forest. It was the _Wandering_ Forest. They were not truly sentient, but there was enough of a Force presence to feel their amusement when Master Mundi realized we'd been walking in the same quarter mile area for hours."

Gree, head warm and strangely bubbly, laughed through his awe. "Walking Trees. You'd walked into a forest of Walking Trees."

The General's eyes _twinkled_. 

"It was much less amusing at the time I assure you. I was near tears from frustration at the thought of failing my first mission as a Padawan without my Master's direct supervision. The locals eventually sent someone after us, who helped show us how to trick the trees into staying still long enough to find our way out." She shook her head as if chasing away an errant thought and smiled, small and warm and sincere. "Master Mundi and I still have an occasional laugh about it and I've made sure Barriss, at least, shall never fall for a wanderlusting willow."

Gree snorted, choking on his drink. The General looked downright smug at this reaction and he couldn't regret putting that look on her face. Even if his nose burned. He wiped the liquid off with one of the napkins that had migrated beside them at some point and his mind latched onto a quicksilver thought.

"Is it true General Mundi is married?"

The questions came out unprompted, brimming with the undisguised curiosity only a truly interesting piece of gossip could inspire.

Gree regretted it instantly as General Unduli jerked back slightly as if struck and her eyes focused on him with a quick switch to serious.

He felt his face heating with embarrassment at the crassness of asking his General about _gossip_. He hated that he knew his face was reddening as well to match his hair and that she could see it. He'd long ago laid his face beside them as they relaxed. The Jedi were _monks_ before they were generals. What had he been think-

"That's correct," the General answered, regaining her usual calm, though her voice now carried an edge of relaxation that wasn't quite slurred from their drinking. "I even attended one of the weddings myself to stand as his family representative on behalf of the Jedi."

The General smiled almost fondly, eyes a little distant as if going back over the memory. "It was a rather simple but lovely ceremony."

"One of?" Gree asked, mind scattered at this news and clinging to any piece of information he could.

She nodded seemingly unruffled and casual as she destroyed much of his understanding of the galaxy. "Oh, yes. He has five wives."

Gree choked slightly at the confirmation that, yes, the Jedi High Council Member was married to five sentients. The General frowned at him with polite confusion and reached forward to lay a hand on his wrist.

"Are you well, Commander?"

Gree nodded and cleared his throat, coughing around the awkwardness.

"I thought Jedi couldn't marry? That the Code forbid love?"

The General's confusion cleared and she nodded, going silent as she seemed to gather her thoughts before speaking.

"The Code does not strictly forbid love. Jedi feel deeply and love is one of our most important tenants. We can even feel it in the Force. The Temple on Coruscant is a lantern of the love and light that connects us." The General's voice went quiet, making Gree lean forward to catch her words. "We all love. I loved my Master and she, me. I love my Padawan. Now, I would say that I love the Company as well."

Gree felt something inside of him, warm and sharp, at that. All of them cared for their Jedi, loved and respected them, would die for them in a moment. Not the least of this was because it was returned. To hear his General mention them in the same breath as her family, as the other Jedi, made him feel almost too much.

"Love is not the issue," General Unduli said firmly, as if this was a reoccurring argument. Her tone softened into something smooth and clear, not unlike moments when she instructed Commander Offee.

"There are different kinds of love though and what it means changes even among different sentient beings on the same planet, much less the galaxy. The main tenant of our order is an unconditional love and compassion for all life, which ties into our service. But we also have our love for one another, our love for our creché-mates, our Padawan siblings, our masters, our own Padawans. There is love between friends outside our Order. These loves are all valuable and help keep us grounded in the light. Jedi are encouraged to love selflessly and often. We are built on our ability to empathize and understand others. When you do this one cannot help but love them even a small amount."

Gree listened intently, fascinated by the tone which seemed to switch between scholarly and passionate. The General's thumb was absently stroking the skin on his wrist as she spoke, hand unmoved. She paused for one moment, before continuing.

"Romantic love is a somewhat more complicated issue. It has no more inherent value in it or the emotional fulfillment it fulfills in a sentient being when compared to other forms of love, but it is often times held up to be the embodiment of what love must be. The Order itself is divided on the permissible nature of this love within the Jedi as it is most often connected with passion and sexual attraction. Both of which the more conservative of the Order believe are deeply linked to the Dark Side. They see them as stepping stones to possession and attachment."

General Unduli paused and took a quick drink, her thumb pressing down as she spoke. "It is not _forbidden_. Some Jedi feel romantic love is permissible so long as one avoids passion. Others believe that sex itself is permissible without the temptation of romantic love. It is far from common and many of us may never pursue either. Some simply do not feel sexual attraction or romantic. Marriage itself is a vow that may exist separate from the Order and not necessarily interfere as it does with Master Mundi, who married in order to help preserve his species."

Gree nodded, mind spending with all of the information.

"Does that mean the Jedi don't think attachment can occur with other love? I thought most natural born are fairly intensely connected to their young, for instance?" Gree found himself saying, thoughtful. 

The General looked pleased by his interest. "That is true. Attachment and possession can form in any loving relationship, twisting it from fulfilling into something toxic and hurtful. Jedi must be cautious with our emotions and ourselves because due to our connection to the Force we can have a undue influence on others. It is our ethical prerogative to be aware of this and caution against it."

Gree nodded and spent a moment thinking over her words, before a bit of it struck him. "You said some of the Jedi aren't sexual? Is it a religious?"

"At times. Some believe refraining brings them closer to the Force. Others, such as myself, simply have a very low or no sex drives and do not truly experience much or any sexual attraction. Some are even rather repulsed by sex. It is a bit of a spectrum and it is similar with romantic feelings."

Gree felt, he wasn't quite sure. Calm? Right? Like someone had just explained something to him he hadn't understood he needed?

"Is there a word for that?" he asked tentative.

She seemed to sense his feelings, which maybe meant she literally did, looking back on their conversation. Her hand shifted from his wrist to his hand, wrapping around it.

"There can be a few different terms that, if you like, we can look into later. I myself use a slightly older one I learned as a Padawan. Asexual, though you may also call me an ace for short."

"Our ace in the hole," Gree said, without thinking and flushed. "Pardon General, I didn't mean-No, disrepect-"

The General laughed, low and sweet, like the wine they'd been drinking, her hand holding his. 

"It is quite alright Commander," she said. "I like it."

Gree relaxed, returning the hold on his, and allowed himself to slip back into the warm haze the drink left. 

They sat in companionable silence accompanied only by the music still playing in the background and the seeming distant noises as the celebration continued.

"They never really taught anything about sexuality or relationships," Gree said, unable to hold it back. "We heard things from the trainers sometimes, when they were talking among themselves, but they didn't really address us. Not until General Ti took over. We stumbled through our feelings as shinies and the first of us who were deployed had to figure it out. We pass it on when we can, but Clones aren't exactly built for romance or marriage. We don't have our own customs."

The General listened, intent and quiet, her hand small and warm in his. "Strictly speaking Jedi don't have marriage customs either. Our culture always meant our vows to the Order came first. Any rare Jedi who married did it with their spouse's culture or that of their birth culture."

Gree nodded. "Not really a marrying bunch either of us."

"No," the General agreed with a smile.

There was another moment of silence and then Gree, hesitating, asked.

"If it's not too private General, I was wondering. If you are asexual does it mean you don't experience romantic love as well?" 

"It isn't," the General assured him. "Not necessarily. For some it may mean they experience neither. For others they still may pursue a romantic relationship. It varies. I myself am somewhat unsure. In my youth I experienced what you would call a crush, I suppose, but I have never pursued a romantic relationship and never felt bereft without one."

-

After that it was a blur of colors and random images. They had continued drinking, sharing a bottle of the wine, which seemed to be much more effective than it should have been now that Gree was thinking clearly. He had the impression of a Siddoth joining them. The fleeting image of the General wrapping both her hands around his and pulling him up. The two of them dancing around the room and laughing in a way that told him he had definitely over imbibed. The sound of his own voice as he told the General, overwrought, that they all loved her just as much as she loved them. The strange feeling of rightness and acceptance as someone began painting something on his hand and then nothing.

It was troubling and Gree felt mixture of protectiveness and fury at whoever had put him with the General and her unveiled. Swallowing it down, he realized he would need to leave to figure out who he needed to kill and to give the General privacy. He, gaze focused on his face and the green streak rather than his General, began to ease his arm out from under her head, trying to touch her as little as possible, moving his body away to give her space.

He heard her huff in protest, pressing back against him and pushing her nose into the bend in his arm.

Gree used his free hand to grab one of the many pillows surrounding them and slip it in his arm's place. This was met with another huff, but the General turned her face into it, turning away from him with clear displeasure. Gree rolled away, slipping silently onto the floor, bending his newly freed arm and flexing the hand to regain feeling. He realized, as his toes met the soft give of a lush rug that he was barefoot as well. He fought back the urge to cover himself with armor, feeling the vulnerability of the unknown licking up his spine. He had other priorities.

A quick check out the window revealed the same clearing populated with individual round houses temporarily arranged in the open plain at the base of the capital for the wedding celebration. He spotted more than a few of Green Company gathered around the outdoor tables eating in the dawn light among the Siddoth. There was no panic or clear guilt, which meant there was likely nothing about to attack and it had not been an ill-advised prank. He found his comm unit perfectly functional with his armor and his blaster seemingly not tampered with. When reaching for it he realized the strange markings on his right hand and frowned bringing it close to look over.

It appeared to be some kind of geometric design, an intermingling of dark green near black, diamonds and starbursts weaved through with twisting vines. It was on the front and his palm. The palm though had a Siddoth Lily in full bloom decorated with a very familiar diamond pattern.

_That,_ he definitely had not had before he went to sleep.

A burst of something in his chest alerted Gree, having him reach for a familiar dark cloth and covering his eyed, now firmly closed, before he heard the first movement behind him. He waited, still and patient as the General moved behind him and gained her bearings. He felt it again, like a little hop in his chest, before she focused on him.

"General," he said, stiff and formal, turning on his heel to where he knew the bed was. He moved slow with his eyes closed, trusting his sense to guide him. When he thought he was close, he bent down to his knees and offered the headdress with both hands, keeping his eyes firmly closed.

He heard the sound of the blankets shifting underneath and then her hands touching his.

"Thank you-" She cut off with a hiss and Gree barely kept control of himself to keep his eyes closed, refusing to disrespect her.

"_Oh_," she said and Gree felt her hand touching his newly patterned one.

Then again, "Oh."

The room drifted into a stunned silence that left him uneasy.

"Sir?" he asked when she did not speak or move to cover herself. He felt her physically shake away whatever had stilled her. Still she did not take her headdress.

Gree remained, kneeling before her, his heart beating with the small star that seemed to still impossibly flicker inside his chest.

"Commander," the General said, voice thick with _something_. "I give you permission to see me."

"_Sir?_"

"Thank you for your consideration, as always, but this must be discussed face-to-face," she said, her voice a little more firm now.

Slowly, giving her as much time to change her mind as he could, Gree opened his eyes. She sat there, uncovered, hair like night falling around her face. It felt almost as if she was naked, the sight was so arresting and vulnerable. Gree felt his breath catch a little in awe at the trust and confusion on what triggered it.

"Commander, I do not know how much you remember of last night, but do you know what is on your hand?" she asked, simple formal as if she wasn't doing something shattering right now.

Gree shook his head, having to drag his gaze from her and down to his hand. He stared when he saw hers resting on it, decorated in the same dark twisting markings, a mirror to his own. Alarms were ringing in his mind and he tried to figure out why they looked so familiar.

"They are part of a matched set," the General said, slow and easy. "A Siddoth marriage tradition."

Gree jerked, pulling himself back from her and gaping.

The General looked abashed, her skin flushing lightly, which was even more arresting, but she continued unfettered.

"Based off what I remember from last night I believe I may have proposed and you accepted."

Gree felt his mind stop at that. The General looked deeply apologetic, her eyes ducking away. Married, Gree was married to _General Luminara Unduli._

"We will take care of this," the General said quick and almost unsteady. "I can not apologize enough. To allow myself to take advantage in such a way was disgraceful and I can never-"

"General," Gree cut in sharp and hating the self-disgust in her voice. She would not meet his gaze.

"Luminara," she said softly. "I believe you have earned the right to call me by my forename."

"Luminara," Gree said though it felt wrong, presumptuous. He had the fleeting image of blue eyes looking deep into his and saying determined and fierce '_Anyone would find themselves blessed to marry you Commander. I would prove it here and now if you'd say yes._'.

"You would not take advantage of me," Gree said and did not let her continue. "I remember reading the debrief, Shod Di is known for their quick marriages. But they are also known for refusing any not of sound mind. Whatever happened I agreed. We can find out how to solve this, but I know you General and you would never force anyone."

He felt the star inside him waver and, feeling bold, grabbed both her hands in his making her look up. 

"Trust me if not yourself," Gree said and felt the star settle. "We will handle this together as we always do."

He was thinking of the missions they'd done together. Of her trusting him and listening to him. Of her calling him her Commander. Of her asking his opinion and recommending him when Yoda needed help because '_There is no one finer_.'

Of his voice answering, '_Well then yes, General._' and never feeling more certain than following after her.

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from "Let me not to the marriage of true minds..." which is a sonnet I'm quite fond of. It is one I hear quoted a lot in marriage vows and since Luminara talks so amazingly old-fashion, 'Halt, assassin' anyone ?, I think of her as Shakespearean. I have several sequels planned for this if I can ever get to them because Gree and Luminara hit me like a freight train.


End file.
